Please help me understand some things about Cirrhosis

[NotNecessarilyBuyingIt]

My brother, recently, died from Cirrhosis.  Well, that is what I was told.  He was diagnosed with Cirrhosis and was told he was dying.  He died a week later.  He did not have yellow jaundice.  Wouldn't he have had jaundice with liver failure?  Also, is it necessary to do a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis?

[Dee1956]

Hello there! I am so very sorry to hear of the death of your brother.  It would be so simple to write to the hospital and ask for his records, his wife could do it.  It would ease your minds so much.
I had a friend who had HCV, never treated it, never stopped drinking.  His death certificate said he died of lymphoma.  When I asked if he had HCV I was told yes.
It sounds very cruel to me that the wife would not help you try to understand, that is all you want, just to understand.  There is much more to this story that she is not telling you for some reason
She sounds awfully defensive, I am guessing relations were strained between the family.  I would try calling the hospital as his relative and ask them how you can obtain his medical records.
I wish you all the luck, there has to be a way.  Are your parents still alive?  I was thinking perhaps they could try to obtain medical records but I don't know the law.

[Livelife777]

I'm so very sorry for the loss of your brother.  If I were in your shoes i also would want to know why.  You can have Cirrhosis of the liver even if Hep C and alcohol were not involved.  Certain other diseases can lead to Cirrhosis without the evident conditions usually related to liver disease.
My best to you and your family.
.....Kim

[NotNecessarilyBuyingIt]

Thank you, Hector.  Yes, death, often, brings the worst out in some people.  I've seen it many times.  I agree, that we may have to get a lawyer involved, if we are not given access to his medical information.  We never experienced losing one to Cirrhosis, so the info you provided about it is very helpful in assisting us with a new understanding of it.  So, now we will try to contact the doctor so we can hear the medical information from him, and if that does not work, and as you suggested, we will contact an attorney...we just want answers that will give us closure so we can move on in peace.  Bless you!

[HectorSF]

Unfortunately this is not an uncommon occurrence. You can try to see if the doctor will provide at least some information that might be helpful. Otherwise it sound like a legal matter. I would contact an attorney and learn what rights you and your family have regarding information about your brother's illness and death.

I wish you good luck and hope this matter gets resolved soon so you can grieve peacefully.
Hector

[NotNecessarilyBuyingIt]

Thank you, Hector.  I really appreciate all of the information.  His wife of 4 years failed to notify us--his blood family--that he was dying, until 1 day before his death.  Yesterday, I asked her to have the doctor call me, so that he can help me and my siblings understand the diagnosis.  She immediately responded that she did not murder him and that she will not have the doctor call me.  So, I am going to attempt to make contact with the doctor, without her assistance, and just wanted to learn a little more about Cirrhosis, before I call him...we just want the doctor to explain it to us, but, apparently, his widow is planning to try to block that information from us, even though I told her that all that my siblings and I want is a reasonable explanation for the conflicting and scant information we were given.  

[HectorSF]

Obviously not knowing the real facts of what happened to your poor brother we can only speculate.

The only way to really know what your brother's medical issues really were and what caused his death is to get access to his medical records and death certificate.

Two things you should know about cirrhosis:

First, although cirrhosis is the most common cause fluid retention (ascites) there are also other causes of ascites as well.

Second, liver disease has many, many causes other than alcohol and hepatitis C. So not being an alcoholic or someone not infected with hepatitis C tell us very little.

If you really want to know the facts, and are prepared to learn things you may not wish to know, you will need to get access to your brother's records.

Take care.
Hector

[NotNecessarilyBuyingIt]

Thank you for your responses and condolences.  I am just a little baffled by his death and the diagnosis, because he was hospitalized in July, because he was retaining too much fluids.  All of his liver tests were normal, and the doctors could not find the reason for the fluid retention, so they discharged him with medication to help him expel the fluids.  In fact, over the past several years, he had been hospitalized many times for other conditions, and all of his liver tests were normal.  He was hospitalized in September for fluid buildup, again.  A week later, they diagnosed him with Cirrhosis and said he is dying.  He did not drink and he did not have Hepatitis C.  So, I am very confused about all of this.  

[hepcandme]

So sorry to hear that your brother passed away due to cirrhosis
Please remember to take care of yourself in this difficult time

[hepcandme]

So sorry to hear that your brother passed away due to cirrhosis
Please remember to take care of yourself in this difficult time

[HectorSF]

I am very sorry to hear that your brother died recently and that he died from cirrhosis of the liver.

Jaundice is only one of many complications that may occur in someone with advanced cirrhosis, but  not everyone will develop jaundice. Or any other particular complication for that matter.

When a person has advanced cirrhosis there is no need for a liver biopsy. A liver biopsy is only used when a diagnosis is in question. For example, in someone is thought to possibly have liver disease but there are no obvious signs of liver disease. Then staging the liver disease is helpful.

For a person with advanced cirrhosis they will have a number of obvious signs that a doctor can recognize upon a physical exam. Of course any blood lab work would also show the blood level abnormalities of advanced cirrhosis and liver failure.  

When a person has advanced cirrhosis (either decompensated cirrhosis or End-Stage Liver Disease (ESLD) they usually die from complications, not from the liver failure itself. Ascites, variceal hemorrhage, hepatic encephalopathy (HE), and renal impairment primarily account for death in patients with advanced cirrhosis. People with ESLD require increasingly complex medical support and manifest a spectrum of complications and symptoms that have significant impact on both survival and quality of life.

I am very sorry for your loss.
Hector